Trousers and process for improving shape retention during cleaning



Sept. 16, 1969" w. o'r'ro 3,466,666 TROUSERS AND PROCESS FOR IMPROV GSHAPE RETENTION DUR CLEANI Filed Nov. 1967 INVENTOR. WOLFGANG K.F. OTTOH6. -4 BYQM PM ATTORNEY United States Patent US. Cl. 2-227 8 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A garment having a crease formed therein andhaving improved shape and crease-retention properties, the interior ofsaid garment containing fastening means for maintaining the garmentsubstantially in a crease favoring configuration during cleaningoperations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to garments havingimproved shape and crease-retention properties, and more particularly,to trousers containing internal means for fasten ing together the insideside seam areas of the trousers.

Garments containing creases which are durable to home laundering and drycleaning operations are wellknown to the art. Garments prepared fromcellulosic fiber-containing fabrics recently have found wide acceptancein the textile industry. Cellulosic garments of the aforementioned typesand the methods for their preparation are discussed in US. Patent No.2,974,432. Satisfactory processes for the preparation of durable creasesin wool fabrics which will withstand home laundering operations havealso been described, for example, in copending application Ser. No.508,823.

Although attempts to prepare trousers having creases and durable to homelaundering and dry cleaning operations have been somewhat successful,especially where the fabrics are chemically treated prior to or duringthe setting process, it has been observed that on repeated washings,there is a tendency to lose the sharpness of the crease and thedesirable fiat dry properties. The latter problem is evidenced by anincreased amount of seam puckering and the tendency of the legs of thetrousers to lose its flat, creased appearance and become rounded. Theseproblems are especially observed when lighter fabrics are utilized inthe preparation of the garments.

Such loss of crease and shape may be due to the agitation and tumblingaction to which the garments are subjected during the cleaningoperations. For example, it has been observed that the waist and hipportion of trousers are forced open and undergo considerable flappingand twisting during this treatment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It has now been discovered that the shape andcreaseretention properties of garments, particularly trousers, can beimproved by providing garments having internal fastening means formaintaining the garments substantially in a crease-favoringconfiguration during cleaning operations. In particular, improvedtrouser construction is obtained by providing internal means forfastening to- "ice gether the inside side seam areas of the hip or waistportion, or the inseam and outseam of the leg portion of the trousersduring cleaning operations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a view of a pair oftrousers having improved shape and crease-retention properties inaccordance with this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a view of a pair of trousers maintained substantially in acrease-favoring configuration by a pair of snaps attached to oppositeinside side seams of the waist, hip and leg portions of the trousers.

FIGURE 3 is a view of the trousers of this invention unzipped and withthe waist and hip portion spread out showing the pair of aligned snapsused to maintain the crease-favoring configuration during the cleaningoperation.

FIGURE 4 is a view of a pair of trousers which have been washed andtumble dried but not maintained substantially in a crease-favoringconfiguration during the washing and drying operation.

FIGURE 5 is a view of the trousers of this invention showing a pair ofaligned ties 15 fastened to opposite seams 14 of the hip portion andtied together to maintain the crease-favoring configuration during thecleaning operation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The garments of interest inthis invention are those having a particular shape and/or creases. Suchgarments can include jackets, shirts and trousers. The invention isdrawn particularly to trousers as shown in FIGURES 1-3 since thesegarments are formed with longitudinally extending front and rear creases16 on the leg portions, and it is desirable to maintain these creasesduring the life of the garment. The crease-favoring configuration isthat configuration which is normally obtained when the front and rearcreases are extended through the hip and waist portion of the trousersas shown in FIGURE 2.

Such garments are now prepared commercially from virtually all types offabrics ranging from fabrics containing 100% natural fibers such ascotton or wool to fabrics composed exclusively of synthetic fibers suchas polyesters and polyamides. Blends of these fibers have beenparticularly valuable for preparing garments having durable creases.Further examples of natural fibers include flax, ramie, alpaca, vicuna,mohair, cashmere, guanaco, camel hair, llama, fur, suede and silk.Synthetic fibers include polyamides, such as polyhexamethyleneadipamide; polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate; acrylic fiberssuch as polyacrylonitrile, homopolymers or copolymers of acrylonitrile,such as acrylonitrile/methyl acrylate (85:15); and cellulosicderivatives such as cellulose acetate and viscose rayon.

Examples of fabrics wherein synthetic fibers are blended with naturalfibers include wool/nylon (85:15); Acrylan/wool (55:45); Orlon/wool(:35); Dacron/ wool (55:45); wool/rayon (65:35); and wool/rayon/ nylon(65:25:10).

Garments prepared from laminated fabrics are also improved by thisinvention. This laminated fabrics can be composed of two or more layersof fabric or an outer layer of fabric and an inner layer of a foam suchas urethane foam. Such laminated fabrics are Well-known in the art.Bonding of the layers is accomplished either by an adhesive or by theflame technique when a layer of foam is utilized. The outer layer isgenerally a woven or knitted fabric comprised of natural fibers,synthetic fibers or blends thereof. Examples of such fibers and fabricshave been listed previously. The inner or backing layer of the laminatedfabric is preferably a knitted fabric obtained from either spun orcontinuous filament yarns. Particularly useful and popular knittedfabrics include those prepared from such fibers as cotton, nylon,polyester, cellulose acetate, rayon and viscose rayon. Knitted tricotfabrics such as acetate and nylon tricot have achieved wide popularity.

Garments prepared from these fabrics are provided with internalfastening means for maintaining the garment substantially in acrease-favoring configuration during cleaning operation. The nature andlocation of the fastening means within the garment is not critical solong as the garment is maintained in the desired configuration. It ispreferred, however, that the fastening means be located on the insideside seam areas so that the side seams of trousers may be fastenedtogether during cleaning thereby reducing the tendency of the legportion of the trousers to round out. The fastening means may beattached along the seams of the leg, hip or waist portion of thetrousers. The shape and crease retention properties of trousers areparticularly improved when the fastening means 12 and 13 arerespectively attached to the inside side seam areas of the hip or waistportion of the trousers as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3.

The term cleaning operation as used in the specification and claimsincludes washing, drying and dry cleaning. Washing can be beaccomplished in a washing machine or by hand. Drying includes any meansordinarily used for drying garments including heated and unheatabletumble driers and line drying.

As mentioned previously, any fastening means for maintaining the garmentin the desired configuration is useful in this invention. Examples ofsuch means includes pairs of cloth ties, snaps, loop and button, buttonand button hole, hook and eye, magnets, and safety pins. Such fasteningmeans can be prepared from suitable metals, plastics, or other syntheticresins. The choice of fastening means and the composition thereof is notcritical so long as the garment remains fastened during the cleaningoperations and the fastening means are not offensive to the wearer ofthe garment. Particularly improved results have been obtained when thefastening means comprise a pair of snaps 12 which is attached to theinside side seam area 14 of the hip portion of the trouser, a few inchesabove the crotch area of the trouser as shown in FIGURE 3. It also willbe appreciated that these desirable results can be obtained whenopposite sides of crease-containing trousers are fastened together witha pin or a pair of cloth ties 15 as shown in FIGURE prior to subjectingthe trousers to a cleaning operation such as is obtained in a washingmachine or a dry cleaning machine.

The improvements obtained by this invention are particularly evidentwhen durable press and washable trousers are provided with the fasteningmeans described above. Processes for obtaining such press-free garmentsare known in the art, as for example, in US. Patents 3,268,915,3,096,524 and 2,974,432. Copending application Ser. No. 508,823discloses a method for providing keratinous fiber-containing fabrics andgarments prepared therefrom having creases which are durable to homelaundering operations.

The shape and crease-resistant properties of the garments prepared inaccordance with the processes described in the above patents and patentapplication as well as other available crease-containing garments can beimproved by the present invention by incorporating into the garmentsfastening means to maintain the garment substantially in acrease-favoring configuration during 4 laundering operations. Thepresently available permanently creased garments have a tendency to losetheir original shape during laundering operations and in some instances,the crease-retention properties are substantially diminished afterrepeated washings. FIGURE 4 illustrates the affect of repeated washingson a creased trouser.'I'he sharpness of the crease 20 in the leg portionof the trouser is drastically reduced and the leg portion is roundedout.

FIGURES l-3 illustrate an embodiment of the invention and the improvedresults obtained. In this embodiment of a pair of snaps 12 is attachedto the inside side seams of the hip portion of the trouser 10. FIGURE 1illustrates the trousers in the unfastened position with aligned pairsof snaps 11 and 11' and also represents the trousers of this inventionafter several cleaning operations. The crease 16 and appearance of thetrousers are substantially unchanged by the laundering operations.FIGURE 2 is a view of the trousers of this invention with the snapsclosed and in a crease-favoring configuration. The trousers aremaintained in this configuration by closing the snaps prior to placingthe trousers in the cleaning apparatus, and the snap is maintained inthe closed position until the trousers have been cleaned and dried.

FIGURE 3 is a view of a pair of trousers with the waist and hip portionof the trousers opened to reveal the position of the pair of snaps 12attached to the inside side seam 14 of the hip portion of the trouser.

As mentioned previously, the shape and crease-retention properties oftrousers are improved when the interior of the trousers caintainsfastening means such as snaps for maintaining the garment in acrease-favoring configuration during cleaning. The improvement isdemonstrated by comparing the performance of two pairs of commerciallyavailable, washable, durable press, crease-containing trousers preparedfrom a chemically treated laminated fabric comprising an outer layer ofwool and an inner layer of nylon tricot, bonded together with an acrylicadhesive. The two trousers differ only in that a pair of snaps isattached to the inside side seam areas of one pair of trousers. Bothtrousers are subjected to five washing cycles in an agitator typewashing machine employing commercially available detergents and tumbledrying cycles after each wash cycle. At the end of this test, thetrousers of this invention (containing snaps) was observed to have asharper crease and improved dimensional stability. That is, the legs ofthe trousers which did not have the snaps were rounded, and at least onenew crease was observed in the seam area of the legs.

That which is claimed is:

1. An improved trouser construction having durable crease retentionproperties comprising waist, hip and leg portions and containingcooperating means in the interior of the trousers for fastening togetheropposite inside side seam areas of the trouser said fastening meanscomprising at least one pair of separate fasteners aligned on oppositeinside surfaces of the seams of the legs of the trousers.

2. The trouser construction of claim 1 wherein the fastening meanscomprise a plurality of pairs of snap fasteners, said fasteners beingfurther positioned along opposite inside side seams of the hip portionof the trouser.

3. The trouser construction of claim 1 wherein the fastening meanscomprise a plurality of pairs of cloth ties, said ties being furtherpositioned along opposite inside side seams of the hip portion of thetrouser.

4. A process for improving the crease retention of durablecrease-containing washable trousers when subjected to cleaningoperations which comprises (a) fastening together the sides of thetrousers along the inside side seams substantially in a crease-favoringconfiguration prior to cleaning,

(b) subjecting said trousers to a cleaning operation,

and

(c) unfastening the trousers after completion of the cleaning operation.

5. The process of claim 4 wherein the opposite inside side seam areas ofthe hip portion of the trousers are fastened together.

6. The process of claim 4 wherein opposite inside side seam areas of thewaist portion of the trousers are fastened together.

7. The process of claim 4 wherein opposite inside side seams of the legportions of the trousers are fastened together.

8. The process of claim 4 wherein the fastening is accomplished with apair of snap fasteners aligned on the opposite inside side seams of thehip portion of the trousers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Winston 2-229 Allen 2227 Walcofi2227 Anderson 2243 Morin 2227 XR Terry 2211 Warnock et a1 2--243 XRCollins 8-159 XR Massop 8-150 H. HAMPTON HUNTER, Primary Examiner US.Cl. X.R.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,466,666 Dated September 16, 1969 Inventor(s) lfgang K. F. Otto It iscertified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 2, line 62, delete "This" and substitute therefor --The--. Column3, line 18, "operation" should be --0perations--; line 32, "operation"should be --o erations--; line 36, "unbeatable" should be --unheated--;line 69, "resistant" should be --retention--. Column 4, line 30,"caintains" should be --contains--.

SEGNED AND SEALED JAN 27.1970

(SEAL) Attest:

etch WILLIAM E. SQHUYLZIR, JR.- Attesting Officer C0m1ss1one1 o1? jetsam

